


Moments

by Preathea



Category: Original Work
Genre: F/F, F/M, Flash Fic, Ghosts, Kidnapping, LGBTQ Character, LGBTQ Themes, M/M, Magic, Magical Boys, Magical Girls, Monsters, Original Character(s), Rescue, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-11
Updated: 2019-12-20
Packaged: 2020-10-14 16:41:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 9,126
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20603984
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Preathea/pseuds/Preathea
Summary: Several Flash Fiction stories that I wrote earlier this year, each based on five randomly selected words.1. Wistful, Chairs, Search, Check, Force2. Hypnotic, Waiting, Gruesome, Sweltering, Certain3. Stomach, Sour, Stem, Transport, Join4. Empty, Bean, Nostalgic, Calm, Busy5. Bounce, Obey, Do, Cheap, Imminent6. Coast, Shiny, Arch, Creature, Waves7. Migrate, Boot, Dip, Side, Brush8. Harmony, Consult, Assort, Absorbed, Crash9. Advise, General, Spooky, Gash, Resonate10. Wooden, Latch, Limit, Collapse, Converge*11. Glib, Crave, Huge, Solicit, Throat12. Spiky, Scorch, Achiever, Momentous, Library13. Signal, Majestic, Envy, Nifty, Scare14. Acrid, Toe, Office, Fertile, Vary15. Wild, Fierce, Rhythm, Flee, Brass*This chapter contains possible triggers.  Please be cautious if you are sensitive to guns or kidnapping.





	1. Wistful, Chairs, Search, Check, Force

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leaving Home

With a wistful look back, I closed the door behind me and hoisted the bags onto my shoulder. I knew I would never return. They had forced my hand, and even their pleading the nights leading up to that day couldn’t change my mind. I’d given them so many chances to prove that they were good parents – even just decent parents. Each time I thought they had changed, though, they made another snide comment. Or an offhand observation that reminded me that people don’t just change that quickly, not without something major happening. 

Now, on my 18th birthday, I was finally moving out and into an apartment with my best friend. She’d graduated the year before and made it clear that I was welcome at her place if things ever got too bad with my folks. I had graduated three days prior and my college application had already been accepted at the local university. I was all set to cut them out. 

Still, walking past the chairs on the porch, I couldn’t help but remember the good times. All the laughs, the summers spent out on this porch reading or playing games with my younger brother. And him. I was leaving him behind to deal with it all on his own. I wouldn’t even have a cell phone after that night, so he wouldn’t be able to call me, but… I just couldn’t stay any longer. It wasn’t worth it. 

The search for my Lyft didn’t take long. Their car was easily recognizable by the glowing Lyft sign in the front window. “Julie?” The driver asked to confirm my identity. I nodded and clamored into the back seat. He spouted off the address to me, and at my second nod, he pulled away from the sidewalk and turned out of the neighborhood. Just like that, my childhood home was gone from sight. 

I checked the route on my phone, thankful that I had chosen not to tell my parents about my plans that morning. They probably would have turned it off right away out of spite. As it was, I wouldn’t have it much longer. Twenty minutes to my destination. 

Those twenty minutes were silent. Neither the driver nor I attempted a conversation and when he pulled up to the apartment complex, I gave him a short thanks before climbing out of the vehicle and dragging my three bags out behind me. Finding Nat’s apartment wasn’t difficult, but the stairs were a pain. She lived on the second floor of three with neighbors both above her and below. It wasn’t the nicest arrangement, or the best apartments, but for two minimum wage workers and full-time students, it would have to do. 

The door opened before I even had a chance to knock. “Jules!” Nat squealed my name and pulled me into a warm hug before taking two of the bags from me. “Welcome home!” She swept her arm across the room in a dramatic fashion and grinned over at me. 

I looked around barely taking anything in. The threadbare couch and small 24 inch television. The overflowing trashcan, the thrifted dining table and chairs. Yes, home… Then I promptly broke down into tears.


	2. Hypnotic, Waiting, Gruesome, Sweltering, Certain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A crush

The sweltering heat gave me pause as I slaved over the garden. I had stayed out too late the night before and rather than grounding me like normal parents would, my mother had ordered me to prep the new section of her garden for some bush transplants. They would likely benefit me too as she nearly always planted edibles in the garden, but it was hard work mid-August, especially as she hadn’t gotten me up earlier, so it was already going on noon and I was only halfway done with the work. 

With a sigh, I started the work again. Flipping dirt, laying down the fertilizer, and burying it. It was repetitive work, but still hard. And gruesome sometimes when an animal got in the way of my rhythm. I apologized silently to the third rabbit to be struck with my shovel and shooed it from the garden. As I watched it run, I took a moment to remove my hat and use it to fan my face. The heat was exhausting, and I couldn’t imagine how much longer I would have to be out here. 

As I continued the work, a voice called out to me from the street. “Hey, Adam!” I looked up and smiled what was almost certainly a goofy grin at the guy waving me over. He waited as I dropped the shovel and jogged over to him. 

“Hey,” I said breathlessly as I came to a stop in front of him. “How are you doing?” 

He winced. “Not so great. I drank too much last night. How are you?” I hadn’t had anything to drink. I’d been too busy the entire night staring at him from afar, hypnotized by his every move. 

I shook my head. “Mom’s making me do her gardening work since I came home after curfew last night.” 

“Sucks, man,” he said, yawning. I nodded and wrung my fingers, not letting my gaze slide from his face. 

“Well, if you’re free and up to it, there’s another party tonight.” I made a face. My mother would never let me go after the night before. Brandon chuckled at my response. “Alright, well, I’ll see you on Monday, then. At practice?” I nodded and he gave a short wave before walking away. 

Yes, joining the soccer team had been a good choice. Even if I was terrible at it and never involved in the games, I got a good view of Brandon at practice, and even more importantly, at the games themselves. It was worth my muscles screaming out in agony every day when I got home. And so was this punishment. 

I idly walked back over to the shovel and got back to work. My mom called out from inside that she had water set out for me. I quickly finished putting down the last bits of fertilizer before putting away the shovel and making my way inside. Yes, Brandon was worth it all. If only I could get up the courage to pursue my crush.


	3. Stomach, Sour, Stem, Transport, Join

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A monster under the bed

I laid on my stomach, a pillow below my chin to support my head and growled as my character once again fell off the stage. I was the first dead. Again. Through no fault of my own, of course. The characters just refused to do what I told it to do. The controls were confusing, and I couldn’t figure out jumping from moving forward. 

The others each had a few more lives before they died, so I stood up and crossed to the kitchen to grab some Sour Patch kids to munch on while waiting for the next match. As I broke open the package, I heard some shuffling behind me and turned to see Marcie, Clark’s younger sister staring up at me, a stuffed lamb clutched to her chest. “Hey,” I said softly. “Sorry if we woke you. I’ll get them to be quieter.” She shook her head and seemed to clutch the lamb tighter. 

I frowned and set the uneaten candy down on the counter before kneeling in front of her. “What’s wrong? Did you have a nightmare? Should I get your brother?” 

She shook her head again and glanced around. “Where’s mama?” she asked, not finding what she was looking for. I frowned. If I remembered correctly, Clark had said his mother had to work the late-night shift at the hospital that day. That was why we were all able to come over and play Smash. 

“I think she’s still at work. Do you need something?” Clark was supposed to be taking care of Marcie, but he had never been the most observant of our friend group. He likely didn’t even know she was still awake. She shook her head again and looked down at her feet. 

“Lawrence! Where are you? We’re ready for the next round,” Clark called out loudly from the front room, and I briefly glanced at Marcie before stepping around her to make my way back. I retrieved my controller and “joined the fray” as Ike. 

“Lame. Ike again?” Clark asked, but started the game again. “Haven’t we proven to you that no matter how many times you play as him, you’re going to lose, man?” I grimaced at the accusation but didn’t deny it. Ike was just one of the heaviest hitting characters that worked in a logical fashion. I died much faster as pretty much anyone else. 

As the game started up and the announcer counted down to the beginning of the match, Marcie followed me into the room, eliciting a loud, drawn out groan from Clark. “Marce, you’re supposed to be sleeping.” She didn’t respond to her brother’s clear annoyance, instead settling into the chair farthest from the television that we had left unoccupied. Clark shouted in frustration when his character lost its first life, and I struggled to stay in the game once again. 

Clark and I died nearly at the same time, leaving Tim and Luke to battle it out for supremacy. “Now look what you did, Marcie? Why’d you go and distract me?” 

She mumbled something this time that sounded like “There’s a stem in my room.” 

Evidently, Clark heard the same thing as his face scrunched up and he repeated her, confused. “There’s a stem in your room?” 

“There’s something in my room,” she said more loudly, a scowl on her face. “I can’t go to sleep until it leaves.” I frowned, but Clark seemed more annoyed than concerned. 

“You know what mom says, just shoo it away.” I looked at him quizzically and he clarified. “She thinks a monster visits her room every night. She’s been doing this for a month. “ 

“Well, maybe there’s something there that disturbs her,” I suggested, struggling to my feet. “I’ll go find out.” I turned towards the hall and began to walk towards her room. I didn’t get far before she stopped me, pulling on my hand to get me to stop. 

“Don’t,” she whispered, clutching my hand with equal veracity as she clutched the lamb. “It eats kids.” 

“Well, it’s a good thing I’m not a kid.” She looked dubious at my statement, but she let me go when I pulled away. I worried for a few moments as I began looking around the room that it would be a real intruder. With Clark’s mom at work, there was no one to take charge in the event of an emergency, and no transportation if we had to get away quickly.

I entered the room cautiously using my phone as a flashlight to shine around the room. Not seeing anything, I glanced back at Marcie who stood in the doorway, staring at me fearfully. I scanned the room again, this time going more slowly. Still nothing. 

“See? It’s just a nightmare, Marce. Go to bed and don’t disturb me and my friends again.” Clark’s voice nearly made me jump out of my skin before I realized it was him and breathed a sigh of relief. 

I addressed Marcie with more patience than her brother. “There doesn’t seem to be anything or anyone here. I think you’re safe.” She shook her head and took a step back from the room, looking at something over my shoulder. I turned around and nearly jumped for a second time before placing a hand on my heart as a bird went flying out the window. “I guess you were right,” I said after a moment of searching. Marcie entered the room cautiously and crawled back into her bed. 

As I walked out of the door, I heard a deep whisper behind me. “Oh, you’re back.” I whipped around, but it was only Marcie in bed, clutching her lamb to her chest and looking back at me fearfully. 

“It didn’t go away,” she whimpered before everything went dark.


	4. Empty, Bean, Nostalgic, Calm, Busy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The past informs the present

The room was empty, as it had been for years. Abandoned pots sat in the corner near the uncovered hole in the wall that served as a window. The floor was still holding thankfully, though it creaked when I shifted my weight away from the parts supported directly by the tree. I missed this place and being back here made me feel more nostalgic than I had thought it would. 

The Bean club hadn’t met for years, and my father wanted to tear down our treehouse as the dilapidated structure would make it harder to sell the house after I graduated later that year. I loved him, but I couldn’t help but feel a tiny bit betrayed at the ripping away of my childhood memories. He had allowed me to enter it to see if there was anything I wanted to keep still in it, but there was nothing left. We had taken everything important when we had disbanded officially upon entering middle school and become too busy to meet regularly.

Still, I wish that Sierra, Myles, Brianna, and I hadn’t drifted apart so soon after that. Our interest in botany hadn’t been strong enough to hold us together. Only Sierra as far as I know had kept on after entering high school, and Bri had abandoned everything after our disbandment. My own interest had become restricted to edibles, and Myles had gone onto work at a Floral shop. He had made a lot of the corsages worn to our senior prom, and he was proud of it. He was the only one I still really talked to. Bri said she felt weird around me now, though she hadn’t talked to me in years before I had started on my hormone treatment. Sierra just never commented. I didn’t know what she thought of me.

I took another step into the treehouse, listening to the loud groaning of the wooden planks beneath me and sighed. I wish we had stayed together as a group. Maybe then I wouldn’t feel so out of place up here. I ran a hand through my hair before placing it on the wall where we had carved our initials and the words “Bean Club” in very rough writing. I smiled lightly at the memory before turning back around. Perhaps my father could preserve that plank, but nothing else was worth anything. 

I climbed down the ladder and met my dad’s eyes when I turned back to the house. “Anything important up there, Dav- Dawn?” He was still getting used to my transition, but he was trying. 

“Could you try to save our carvings?” I asked as I walked up the porch steps. “If you can’t, it’s fine. There’s nothing else.” He nodded and placed a hand on my shoulder, gripping tightly before letting me go into the house. The Bean club would really be gone after this. With that knowledge, I felt a surprising calm settle over me. The past was nice to think about, but the future was what really mattered. 

I grabbed my phone from my pocket and scrolled through my contacts list. I wanted my future to include old friends. I stopped on the contact labeled “Myles” and clicked call. The phone rang.


	5. Bounce, Obey, Do, Cheap, Imminent

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Waiting

I bounced on the balls of my feet waiting in line as patiently as I could. Mommy had told me to wait, and it was all I could do to obey. She had gone to get food while I stood in line at the bounce obstacle course. I just wanted it to be my turn. I looked at my best friend next to me, Erika, and bounced again a smile spreading on my face. “Eri,” I said, “How many more before it’s our turn?” 

She frowned and peeked out around the line, counting, her mouth slightly open as she did. “Six, I think.” I groaned. “But they go in twos, so four, I think.” That was only a little less than six, so I groaned again. “Are we really gonna do it?” She asked as she took her place back in line and grasped my hands. 

“Of course. Mommy paid, and she said it wasn’t cheap so we shouldn’t waste her money.” I was more excited than I ever remembered being up to then. But then, being six years old at the time, that didn’t really mean much. 

“How much do you think it cost?” Erika asked after a moment. 

“I don’t know, maybe like twelve dollars,” I said. 

“Twelve?” Erika asked, scrunching up her face.

“Each!” I added, and her expression turned to one of shock. 

“That’s a lot.” 

“Yeah, so we should make sure we do everything.” Erika nodded and squeezed my hand tighter as we stepped closer to the starting line. “Are you scared?” I asked, looking down at our linked hands and then back up at my friend’s face. 

“No,” she said immediately and then winced. “Maybe a little, but as long as we do it together, I’ll be okay.” I nodded. Of course, we were doing it together. That’s why we were standing in line together. The people in front of us got called up and shoved their shoes off to climb up, chattering excitedly as they waited until they were told to start, and Erika seemed to start shaking. 

Our turn was imminent, and I didn’t want to miss it, so I said, “Look. It doesn’t even take that long. And we get to go as slow as we want. And it won’t hurt if you fall cause we’re so close to the ground. Eri, we’ll be fine.” She nodded and reluctantly removed her shoes. I followed her lead and tossed both pairs into the pile of shoes next to the course. We stood there in just our socks, waiting to be called up, and when we were, I had to pry my hand from Erika’s grip to climb up. 

I helped her up behind me and forced her to stay at the start of one section of the race, as I took the other. “It’ll be fine,” I said again as she looked after me worriedly. And it was.


	6. Coast, Shiny, Arch, Creature, Waves

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An Escape

I stood silent on the coast as I let the waves lap at my legs. My eyes were closed, and I just listened to the rhythmic churning. I felt the sand beneath my feet, the ebb and flow of the cold water, and I tried to concentrate on just those sensations. The sounds of the empty beach. The feel of the water. The heat of the setting sun on my skin. I concentrated there and not on my beating heart, or my shortened breaths, or the anxiety trying to force its way to the forefront of my mind. 

Something crawled over my foot as the water retracted, and I opened my eyes and looked down to see a small crab scrambling towards the water. I watched it reach the wave and be swept farther onto the beach before it was dragged back out to where it wanted to be. The creature was probably as relieved as it could be. Was being a crab easier than being human? Perhaps. 

I took some deep breaths and arched my back, stretching my hands above my head, before finally turning around to walk back home. I couldn’t stay here all night, no matter how upset I was. Besides, after the mess I had left behind, I had no doubt that our guests would have left. It was only the disappointment of my parents that I would have to face when I returned. At least, I hoped. 

It wasn’t a long walk back, thank goodness, as I hadn’t even grabbed my shoes on the way out. And the gleaming, shiny car that I had washed the day before still sat in the driveway. I stuffed my hands into the pockets of my shorts and hesitantly approached the door. No other car was present, so I was probably safe to enter. 

“Sam,” my mother breathed when I walked in. “We’re glad you’re safe,” she said after standing up and walking up to me, holding her hands out as an invitation to hug me. I reluctantly did so. I turned to the stairs to go up to my room, only to see my father standing to the side, his arms crossed over his chest and pointedly not meeting my gaze. 

“Dear,” my mother said, her tone not matching the term of endearment in the least. 

My father sighed and lowered his arms. “I’m glad you’re safe, Sam. Don’t do that again.” And that was it. I went to my room. I heard hushed voices from downstairs and knew my parents were arguing about me again, but when I put in my earbuds and turned on some music, I could drift away just like the waves.


	7. Migrate, Boot, Dip, Side, Brush

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A confession

I tuned out the lecture on whatever migration we were studying that day and focused on the picture forming in the corner of the page on which I was supposed to be taking notes. I didn’t know what it was going to be yet, if it was going to be anything, but it was a hell of a lot more interesting than the guest lecturer droning away at the front of the classroom. We weren’t even getting tested on this; we were just required to show up. 

She moved to a different slide, and I shifted my eyes back up to look at it. Still nothing interesting. She had a little gif on the slide, probably with the intent to engage us further, but I don’t think it was doing the trick for anyone. Something hit the side of my boot, prompting me to turn my attention to the floor. An eraser lay there, and I furrowed my brow, wondering who would be using a pencil to take notes in this class. Looking back up, I caught sight of someone waving sheepishly in my direction. He pointed a finger at himself and then at the eraser mouthing something that I couldn’t make out. I assumed it was his. Leaning down, I grabbed it and mouthed “After class,” back in his direction, setting the easer next to my notebook. 

The class finally ended, and I shuffled my stuff into my bag, pocketing the eraser before turning to look for the boy from earlier. He was no longer in the classroom, so I wandered out to the hall, where I found him immediately, bouncing on his heels and waiting for me. “Sorry about that,” he mumbled, holding out his hands. I retrieved the eraser from my pocket and dropped it into his hands, brushing our fingers together momentarily. His cheeks went red at the contact. “My friend thought it would be funny to take it and toss it. She was bored, you know?” I nodded and stuffed my hands into my pockets. 

“Tell her to make sure she’s not hitting anyone next time,” I said, turning to walk to my next class. I took two steps before he called out to me again. I turned back and raised an eyebrow. 

He dipped his head to the ground for a second, before locking eyes with me, his cheeks completely flushed red. “Would you want to get coffee or hang out or something later?” 

I stared for a moment, stunned. I didn’t know this kid at all, but it sounded like he was asking me on a date. I brought a hand to the back of my neck and rubbed. “Maybe, but, hey, what’s your name?” 

“Damien,” he said, hope steadily dropping from his face. “I’ve liked you for a while, actually. And Mara, my friend, threw the erasure to give me an excuse to talk to you.” 

I cleared my throat and cast my gaze to the ground, not sure what to say. He didn’t seem like a bad guy, but that was a little manipulative. “Well, Damien, maybe we should get to know each other first. Coffee tomorrow, maybe? As friends?” 

“Yeah, I’d like that,” he said softly, a small smile gracing his features. I turned away again and hurried down the hall towards my next class. “See you tomorrow, Chris!” he called after me, and I waved a hand behind me, ducking into the classroom, unable to stop my face from completely flushing.


	8. Harmony, Consult, Assort, Absorbed, Crash

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Magical boy

He felt himself crash into the ground again and groaned. It wasn’t supposed to be this way. He stood up and braced himself for another attack. He managed to absorb most of it with his mana this time, but it still left him panting. He couldn’t even see what was attacking him. It was no wonder that the normal policemen couldn’t handle this on their own. He was only called in on crimes that were out of their experience, like a creature made of darkness that was jumping around destroying property around the town. 

Akira wished that he had consulted his allies about this before coming. Since he had learned to create cages of light that could hold people and creatures by their shadows, he’d thought this would be easy for him. But now… this creature was entirely made of darkness. It didn’t seem to cast its own shadow, so for his cage to work, he had to stop it somehow for the few seconds it would take to summon the cage, but it never seemed to stop moving. It was almost as if it knew his plan. 

“Purple Poison!” Someone called and he winced at the name. He hadn’t liked it when it first cropped up, and he liked it even less now. It sounded more like a villain than a hero. Someone stopped next to him, and he took a second to glance over. Red hair reaching the ground, black and white tight outfit, and a sword – sheathed – clutched at her side. Relentless Red. She was probably the worst ally for this. “Are you alright?” She asked, taking a stance next to him. She stopped the next hit with her sword and flung the creature into the air. It lost its balance and followed physics for a few seconds, and Akira had an idea. 

“Red, do that again the next time it attacks,” he said, taking a few steps back. She gave him a quizzical look but did as asked. He counted the seconds it took the creature to regain control over itself as it fell. Four seconds, and it touched the ground to come back. Grinning, he called out for her to do it one last time. Right after it connected with her sword, he began to create tendrils of light of assorted sizes near the ground where the creature would fall. They wove effortlessly into a cage, open at the top until the creature passed through them. He willed the light to close around the small dark creature. It scrambled at the light surrounding it, but it didn’t seem able to escape. He breathed a sigh of relief, and he and Red approached the cage slowly. 

“What is it?” she asked as it scrambled at the sides, releasing a sort of chittering noise. 

“I have no idea,” Akira panted, placing his hands on his hips. “But we can’t let it go. It’s been causing a lot of issues.” 

“You’re right,” Red said simply, drawing her sword and positioning it above a gap in the cage. The creature screeched and cowered on the other side of the cage. 

“Wait,” Akira said, holding out a hand. “It’s afraid. Maybe it doesn’t know any better. It could learn.” 

Red shook her head. “We can’t take the chance.” She plunged the sword through the cage and into the creature, eliciting a shrill screech. The sword burst into flames, and the creature was consumed. Red withdrew her sword and, after wiping it on her wrist guard, sheathed it. “Done,” she said simply before walking away. Akira looked back down at where the creature had cowered and collapsed his cage after a moment. He wasn’t happy about this. The creature had been more than just chaos this time around. He cloaked himself in illusions as he walked away, de-transforming when he was sure the crowds wouldn’t notice him. The purple melted from his skin and his ears reclaimed their usual shape. His robes became a normal coat and jeans, and he walked away. In the distance, he heard, “Once again, Relentless Red has restored harmony to the city.”


	9. Advise, General, Spooky, Gash, Resonate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A haunting

The general advice when one enters a supposedly haunted house is easy enough to follow. Don’t disturb anything. Don’t insult the haunts. Don’t invite anything into you or to follow you. Don’t be stupid and bring a Ouija board. 

My friends never were the brightest, however, and they disregarded this final advice. October 31st, 2:30 am found us peering into the boarded-up windows of the abandoned house on the hill overlooking our small town. It was Saturday, so we didn’t have school, and we had all stayed the night at Sara’s. She had the most lenient parents, so, when we left at 2 telling them we were going ghost hunting, they didn’t bat an eye. Something moving inside caught my eye, but when I turned to look at it, it was gone. I took a step away from my window and looked around at the others who had fanned around the property, our cheap equipment distributed between the six of us. 

“Guys,” I said, and everyone turned to look at me. “I don’t think we should do this.” Sara rolled her eyes, and Myles came over and put a hand on my shoulder, looking me in the eyes. 

“Dude,” he said, “It’ll be fine. Dina and I have come here several times alone to check it out. Some weird hobos and shit hang out sometimes. But this time of year, they’ll have moved to somewhere warmer. Don’t worry so much.” I looked back at the house. It was still spooking me. I shuddered and looked at the ground. Myles sighed. “If you really want to go home, Daniel, we won’t stop you.” 

I looked around at the others. Sara had crossed her arms and was looking at me with a smirk. Dina seemed a bit more sympathetic, but she kept glancing towards the house in worry. Lauren had tuned out and was investigating the windows again. And Gary was nowhere to be seen. I bit my lip and looked back at the ground. “I’ll stay,” I whispered. “But the minute something seems wrong, we leave, right?” Myles smiled widely and nodded. 

He turned away and walked up the stairs to the front door. Sara rolled her eyes again and scoffed. When she walked past me to follow Myles, she whispered, “Suck up.” I frowned and followed her and Myles. The front door creaked as he opened it and after taking a single step in, I wanted to run again. I shuddered again. Myles didn’t hesitate to stride to the middle of the room, Sara only a few steps behind him. Lauren appeared, Gary with her, and Dina came in last, stopping next to me. 

“It’s creepy, right?” I asked in a quiet voice. Dina didn’t answer, so I looked her way. She was staring down a hall, a distant look in her eyes. “Hey, are you alright?” I asked. Dina shook her head and blinked before looking at me. 

“Yeah, I’m fine. Shall we?” She nodded her head in the direction of the others and waited for me to take a few steps towards them before going herself. 

“Let’s see, it’s 2:46 now. We should set up the Ouija board and wait like ten minutes before starting it,” Sara was saying as she set the bag with our supplies on the floor. She distributed candles for us to set up and Myles went around and lit them. 

“Hey, Daniel,” He called after he was done, and I walked towards him from the corner I had placed myself in. “When this is done, you want to do a quick EVP session? I know those are your favorites.” Only because nothing tended to happen during them, but I nodded anyway. He flashed me a bright smile that had me flushing. I shook my head and headed to the center of the room where the others were taking seats in the circle. I took a seat between Myles and Dina. Sara sat on Myles’ other side, and Gary and Lauren sat between her and Dina. We waited in silence for the last few minutes to trickle by before our clocks hit 3:00 am. 

Sara took the lead, having us all place a hand on the stone and asking question after question. It moved, but I wasn’t convinced that it wasn’t one of the others. After about half an hour, however, a loud boom sounded from somewhere in the house, and we all jumped away from the Ouija board and looked around at each other. A beat passed and then all our candles went out. Someone screamed. It may have been me, and someone else shushed them. There was a scrambling, and then Myles was lit up by his phone. We all followed his lead and looked around. The first thing we noticed was the gash on Gary’s arm. 

“That definitely needs to be cleaned,” I said, my voice shaky. He hummed in either agreement or pain, I wasn’t sure which. Then, I looked around. “Where’s Dina?” I asked. The others stopped and looked to me. I repeated my question. They finally looked around, and when no one could see her in the room, Myles took charge. 

“Alright, Gary, Lauren, and Sara, clean up in here and go wait outside. No one should be left alone. Daniel, you come with me. We’ll search the house for her.” We nodded and I followed Myles down the hall Dina had been staring down before. 

She wasn’t far, staring into a room at the end of the hall, her eyes distant again. “Dina, hey, let’s get out of here,” I said, pulling on her arm. She pulled her arm from my grasp and continued staring. Something seemed to be resonating with her. I met Myles’ gaze with my own and we both nodded before each grabbing an arm and dragging her back. She seemed to struggle for a few moments before going limp. 

“What’s going on?” she asked after a moment. 

“We’re leaving,” Myles answered. “Come on.” She didn’t ask any more questions, letting us guide her out to meet the others. We left the property and have never gone back.


	10. Wooden, Latch, Limit, Collapse, Converge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A Rescue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't normally post notes with my stuff. I like people to read without me influencing them, but I wanted to attach a warning to this story. I usually don't write anything that could be considered triggering in anyway, and while this story is not detailed about the situation, it is a traumatic situation that could cause a sensitive reader distress. I considered not even posting this one at all, but decided to do so as this set of stories is about experimenting with different characters and different types of scenes. 
> 
> Skip this if kidnapping or guns are any sort of triggers for you.

The wooden door shook as someone outside undid the latch. I squeezed my eyes against the light that flooded the room after two days of darkness and moaned into the gag. I was at my limit, and if it was him again, there was nothing I could do anyway. “Diane?” Someone asked, and it didn’t sound like him, so I opened my eyes and moaned again through the gag. 

The police officer approached me slowly, his partner remaining by the door, talking into the radio on his shoulder. “Hey, we’re here to get you home,” the officer coming to me said. “I’m officer Smith, and that’s Johnson.” I snorted at the names and rolled my eyes. Could their names get any faker? I didn’t know if this was some sort of game he may have arranged, but they looked legitimate enough, so I didn’t resist as the officer untied my arms and removed my gag. I spat on the ground after it, trying to get the taste of cotton out of my mouth. 

I helped the officer untie my legs from the chair and immediately went to stand up and run out of the room. My legs collapsed underneath me, and I groaned in frustration and pain. The sound of heavy footsteps came from outside, and I tensed up, looking over at Officer Smith with wide eyes. He motioned for me to stay still, and he joined his partner at the door. 

“Who are you?” The familiar voice snapped in our direction and a loud thud sounded after, as if he had dropped something. “I never gave no permission for any cops to come onto my property.” I wrapped my arms around my torso and sunk into a ball. 

“Stay where you are,” Officer Johnson said, his weapon trained on something outside of the door. Hopefully him. A snarl sounded and then a bang. I closed my eyes before both officers fired several times more. Finally, everything stopped, and another thud came. I opened my eyes and caught a glimpse of Officer Johnson leaving the room. Smith came back to check on me, assuring me that I would be okay and that everything was alright now. They would get me home. I nodded numbly and let him help me to my feet and out of the room. I didn’t dare look at the body. 

Down a set of stairs, out a front door and I was ushered into an ambulance. Nothing really registered for me until I heard my mother cry out shrilly before she and my father converged upon me in a fit of tears. I joined them.


	11. Glib, Crave, Huge, Solicit, Throat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A casual coming out

She walked by, and I swallowed my words mid-sentence, feeling the saliva fall down my throat as I stared after her. I knew it was shallow, but holy shit, she was attractive. The curves were too perfectly proportioned to be natural, and her eyes were a shade of green that I had never seen before. She tossed long strands of blond hair over her shoulder, and I gulped again. “Hey, Sara, are you okay?” I turned back to Monica and nodded. 

“Yeah, yeah,” I said, trying for glibness. “I’m fine. Who was that?” I pointed over my shoulder in the direction that the girl had walked, and Monica’s brow furrowed. 

“Oh, the new girl? Therese Durand. All the boys are talking about her.” Monica rolled her eyes and scoffed. “She’s not that pretty. Besides, most of it is probably fake.” 

“Yes, the boys are fake,” I said, looking back over my shoulder for a moment. I turned back to Monica who was giving me a strange look. I shrugged, soliciting a sigh from her. 

“You could hold in the drool a little, especially if you want to stay in the closet.” I narrowed my eyes, and she shrugged this time, a smirk forming on her face. “If you didn’t want me to know, you should hide the craving in your eyes. And you should pay more attention.” 

She was probably right, but this huge crush was going to be the death of me anyway. “But she is hot,” I said, turning fully around to sit across from Monica. “You’ve got to admit that.” Monica rolled her eyes again, and I let the conversation die. Therese was out of my league even if she was into girls, so it didn’t really matter. Besides, I had a feeling Monica would never forgive me if I pursued her. “You are too, you know,” I added with a wink. 

“Shut up,” Monica said immediately, tossing a balled-up piece of paper in my face, but I could see the smirk that crossed her face anyway. No crush would come between us.


	12. Spiky, Scorch, Achiever, Momentous, Library

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A failed confession

I stood, rigid, as I glared at the scene at the study tables in the library. This was supposed to have been my moment. I was supposed to be the one over there kissing him. It had been my love letter that had put him here in the first place. I clenched my fists and turned away from them before it could get more heated. Making my way further into the stacks, I brushed angrily at the tears that had begun to fall. 

It had been a momentous occasion when I had finally decided to write that letter and deliver it to his locker. Worse, I had thought it could achieve something. Now I was realizing what a fool I had been. He was clearly happy with girls, and only girls. No matter his proclamation that he was pan. Or maybe it was just me. Was I just not worth the risk? 

I took the side exit and burst from the building, out into the scorching summer sun. Maybe it was my fault. Maybe I should have gone up to him sooner, but I had frozen in place upon seeing him, and before I could gather up courage, she had walked straight up to him. I hadn’t had a chance after that. 

I took off towards the nearby park where no one would be this early in the afternoon. The spiky grass beneath my feet was stamped down as I made my way across the grass field to the tree that I always used to collect my thoughts. I sank to my knees in front of it, and beat my fists into the bark, ignoring the immediate pain that spread through my hands. 

God, I was an idiot. I hadn’t said more than two words at a time to him, but I thought I had a chance. I went to slam my fists into the bark again, and a voice rang out behind me. “Mark?” I glanced towards it and sighed when I saw Marisol. She was a nice girl but not someone I wanted to deal with. She adjusted her glasses before walking towards me and sinking into a crouch next to me. “Are you okay?” She asked. I sighed again and turned around to lean against the tree and sank to my butt. She settled next to me, and when I glanced back towards her, I saw that she was still waiting for an answer. 

“Does it look like I am?” I asked, glumly, finally looking at my hands. They weren’t as bad as I thought they would be, though they were a little bloody. 

“What happened?” She asked. I threw her a look, wondering why she would think I would want to talk to her about it. She hummed in response. “You know, things would go your way more often if you actually spoke up.” I snorted, and she chuckled. “Seriously. Brian has no idea that you wrote that note because your name wasn’t on it. You asked him to meet you in the library. And he went. But you never went up to him. I saw the whole thing. What did you expect to happen? It was half an hour after your meeting time.” 

“How do you know so much about it?” I snapped, focusing my gaze on her.

“I’m more observant than people give me credit for,” she said, beaming at me. “And Brian told me yesterday when he got the letter.” 

I looked back at my hands and started picking at some of the bark that had scraped off onto them. “Did he say anything about who he wanted it to be from?” I asked quietly. 

She laughed lightly. “Does it matter? He clearly accepted Nina.” I scowled again but didn’t say anything. She sighed before standing up and brushing off her pants. “Look, Mark, if you want something to change, you have to take action. More than what you’ve already done. Now, I’m going home. If you want to sit out here and hurt yourself, go ahead. Or you could head home, cool off, and come up with a new game plan.” She turned away and walked off. She stopped halfway across the field and turned back. “I’m rooting for you,” she said. 

I watched her walk away, brow furrowed in confusion. We’d never been close, so that whole interaction was out of the normal. She had made some good points, though. Nothing would change if I just stayed here. Not with Brian and not with me. I sighed and stood up. It was time to head home.


	13. Signal, Majestic, Envy, Nifty, Scare

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A cancelled wedding

She ran her hand over the dress that had been laid out for her. She knew there wasn’t a chance of getting out of this. So many girls would give anything to be in her position; even she would have been envious earlier in her life. The wedding would be majestic; no expense had been spared. It didn’t matter that the king and queen had little regard for her. He had chosen her, and no one could say anything against that choice. 

Not even her. 

The bells rang, signaling that the beginning of the 6th hour of the day. A shiver ran through her spine and the door opened. “Miss Stefani, have you eaten yet?” She shook her head and the maid sighed. “I will order something quick from the kitchens. We must begin getting you ready.” The maid retreated, closing the door behind her, and Stefani sat on the bed near the gown, echoing her sigh. 

The queen had asked her the other day if she was scared. Stefani had responded with a negative, but she wasn’t so sure now. She shook as she looked at the dress. There was nothing she wouldn’t give up to be back home with her family, baking with her father or scrubbing flour and dirt out of her little brother’s trousers. Picking flowers with Eliza and gossiping about the village boys. But that would never be her life again. 

“Well that’s a nifty lookin’ dress there. Would fetch a pretty penny down at the docks if you’re willin’ to part with it.” She shot her eyes to the window and leapt up. 

“Landon,” she breathed, pressing her face shakily to his chest as she wrapped him in an embrace. “Why are you here?” 

“Well, I can’t have my sister’s lover get married, now can I? No one would be happy. Except mayhap the prince, but he’ll find another girl.” 

Stefani pushed away from him and glared up at him. “I can’t just leave.” 

“Whyever not?” 

“Well, there’s guards out there for one, and how would we make it out of the castle and off the grounds without being caught?” She frowned and crossed her arms. “How did you do it to get here?” 

“Well, the window’s a right easy entry with no guards. And the gardens aren’t as private as them royals think.” Landon put his hands on his hips and smiled proudly, sunlight streaming through his golden locks behind him. Stefani rolled her eyes and glanced back at the dress. 

Hurriedly, she grabbed it. “Let’s go. Fast. The maid will be back with my breakfast in a little while.” 

Landon grabbed the dress from her but paused as he put his hands around her waist to lift her out the window. “Are you sure about this, Stef? You’ll never be able to come back. You ‘n Liza will have to leave forever.” 

“Were you not planning on coming with us?” She asked, smirking. “The three of us on the grand adventures we all used to dream about. What more could I want?” He grinned back at her and, in one fluid motion, picked her up and was out the window. Their adventures would start at the docks.


	14. Acrid, Toe, Office, Fertile, Vary

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A devastating fire

The once fertile land let off an acrid scent that curled my toes as I looked out at it. I had come here straight from the office, read the file in the car ride over, but even then, I wasn’t ready for the lack of vegetation or signs of life. I hadn’t expected for the ground to crunch beneath me as I walked. 

I couldn’t keep my mouth closed despite the horrible taste and scent that assaulted me the entire time. The ground was scorched black as far as I could see. I knew intellectually the damage that wildfires did to everything that they went through, but I had never experienced it firsthand like this. After a few more minutes, I shook my head. I wasn’t there to gape. I had a job to do. 

I brought the file up to flip through the various pages until I landed on the one listing the addresses affected by the fire that I was supposed to evaluate. Normally, we had a more experienced officer do this job, but he was out that day, and I had recently been promoted, so they wanted to see if I was capable of this part. They had been marked as total losses by an initial team, and I was supposed to be more thorough and decide if I agreed with that assessment. Looking at this land, I couldn’t even tell where the house had stood, so I couldn’t imagine that I would disagree. 

Walking a little bit more, I found what seemed to be the remains of a wall, and I stepped carefully around it. Finally, it seemed I had found the house itself. There were remains of counters to one side and what looked like it used to be a recliner to the other. It had been deemed safe to enter by the fire department, but I was still wary walking by anything that was taller than me or almost as tall. No walls were fully intact, as I walked deeper into it, I could see where the top floor had collapsed in the back. 

Something shifted in a pile of rubble and I moved closer for a look. A rat scurried away from me, and I raised an eyebrow. I supposed rodents and bugs were to be expected. They were remarkably resilient creatures. I went into what remained of each room. I came to the daughter’s room last, and I paused to take a breath. This was the only room in which there had been a death reported. 

I stepped in and gazed around. It was impossible to even tell where the skeleton had been found. Not that that was important to my work. This room was like the others. All ruin. A few small items here and there had survived. A hairbrush with golden designs on a pink background standing out among them, but nothing worth counting against the total loss assessment. I turned around and made my way back to the car. 

“Where to next, Mrs. Solia?” The driver asked as I entered the car. I didn’t answer immediately, instead shuffling through the papers to find the next address. My face drained when I found it. 

I hadn’t been told. No one had called me, and I as I scanned the report, a low moan made its way from my throat. Two humans dead and one dog. My parents. “Is everything alright, Mrs. Solia?” But I didn’t answer. I couldn’t.


	15. Wild, Fierce, Rhythm, Flee, Brass

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An audition

He stood outside the door; a flyer clutched in his hand. He’d always wanted to join a band like this. Wild, free, and, most of all, talented. He just didn’t know if they would want him. He’d been training his vocals and instruments for as long as he could remember, but mostly he’d concentrated on training classically. That may not be the style they were looking for. Part of him wanted to turn around and flee before someone came out and found him, but he took another deep breath and opened the door. 

Immediately, he heard some drumming from the back of the building. He glanced in that direction before turning his eyes to the young woman sitting lazily at an old desk. He approached her and gave her a weak smile. “Hello, I’m here about the audition for Miracle Dusk,” he said quietly. She looked up from her fingers without moving her head and sighed. 

She shifted to face him completely and rummaged through the papers in front of her, snatching a brass pen from inside the desk. She gave him both and said, “Fill this out.” He grabbed them and leaned over the desk to do so. The form took only a few minutes to fill, and he gave it back delicately. She snatched it and stood up, stretching as she did so. “Dennis?” she asked, raising an eyebrow. He nodded. She turned from him and began to walk back towards the drumming. “Sit here and wait. They’ll call you in when they are read.” 

He had come to Miracle Dusk’s shows before Kyle had left, so he was familiar with their music, and as he was more able to focus, he recognized the song being practiced. He began to tap his foot in time with the rhythm, and he closed his eyes, muttering the lyrics under his breath. He kept going until the music stopped. He assumed that she had arrived and now they were discussing something. 

The girl returned to the desk after a few minutes and sat down without a word. He wrung his hands as he waited, in silence now, and worried his lip. Finally, the bassist – Malcolm – came out and gestured that he should follow him in. 

“Dennis?” he was asked for the second time. He nodded. “You indicated that you were familiar with our music, so we’re going to run through a few songs, you on lead vocals. We’ll see if you’re a good fit. We’re starting with Fierce.” Dennis nodded and took the place in front of the center mike. He placed both hands on the microphone, then took a deep breath. Looking behind him, he indicated that he was ready. 

As the song began, he did his best to lose himself in the music and sang as if he was at a recital. Everything was precise, and exactly as Kyle would have sung it. He knew, he’d practiced a thousand times. When it came to an end, he turned around, and found them frowning at him. “Was something wrong?” he asked hesitatingly. 

“Look, you’re good,” Malcolm said, “Very good.” 

“But we need someone with their own personality,” Brian interrupted, leaning forward over the drum set. “Not someone who’s copying our old style. Take that crap out with you.” Dennis winced. 

Malcolm shot Brian a look. “We’re looking to transcend our old sound. Can you try the next one with your own take on it? We’ll follow your lead.” 

Dennis frowned, but nodded. He’d try anything, but he wasn’t sure he was capable. They started up again, and he tried. He had never done anything like this, though, and he wasn’t sure how it turned out. 

“Alright. Thanks for coming in. We’ll call you at the end of the week to let you know our decision,” Malcolm said at the end of the song, and waved him away. 

Dennis walked out, shoulders slumped and entirely dejected. He’d thought emulating would be enough, but clearly it wasn’t what they’d been looking for. He left the building, and made his way home, sure that the next time he saw them would be the next show that he attended.


End file.
